The Goshen College Choirs will present their annual Winter Choral Concert in Sauder Concert Hall. Performing are the Goshen College Chamber Choir, conducted by Jimin Seo; Voices of the Earth, conducted by H. Roz Woll; and Vox Profundi, conducted by Jeshua Franklin.

Austin Huntington was appointed principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2015 at age 20, making him one of the youngest principal players in a major American orchestra. He has also served as guest principal with the San Francisco, Toronto, Utah, and Florida symphonies, and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. He is currently principal cellist at the Mainly Mozart Festival and Colorado Music Festival.

A winner of the Stulberg and Irving M. Klein international competitions and a top prizewinner in the Schadt Competition, Austin has appeared as soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Marin Symphony, Colburn Orchestra, and others.

Equally active as a chamber musician, he has collaborated across genres with artists including Itzhak Perlman, Augustin Hadelich, Edgar Meyer, The Eagles, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Augustana. He has served on faculty at Indiana University and the University of Indianapolis, and as Chair of the Board for the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy.

Austin holds degrees from the Colburn School and Indiana University, and studied with Ronald Leonard, Eric Kim, and other renowned teachers.

Soprano Jeni Houser has been praised by Opera News for her “commanding and duplicitous, yet also vulnerable” performances and a voice with “a bright future above the staff.” In the 2024–25 season, she returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Die Zauberflöte and its English-language The Magic Flute, reprising her signature role as the Queen of the Night. She also appears as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with Charlottesville Opera, makes her debut with the Utah Symphony, and returns to the Madison Symphony Orchestra.

Houser has performed the Queen of the Night with the Met, LA Opera, Dallas Opera, and across the U.S. She recently sang Cunegonde in Candide with Madison Opera and Carmina Burana with the Phoenix Symphony and Grand Teton Music Festival.

Internationally, she debuted at the Wiener Staatsoper in Staud’s Die Weiden and returned for Die Zauberflöte and Orest. Other roles include Lucia, Zerbinetta, Olympia, and Susanna. A graduate of Lawrence University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, she is an alumna of Glimmerglass, Virginia Opera, and Opera Saratoga.

The Sherer Trio brings together three of Goshen College’s instrumental faculty. A native of Ukraine, violinist Solomia Soroka is professor of music and teaches applied violin, music theory and chamber music. Cellist and Adjunct Professor Dato Machivariani is a native of the Republic of Georgia and teaches applied cello at Goshen College and Valparaiso Unversity. Pianist and Professor of Music Matthew Hill is chair of the music department, teaches applied piano, music history, piano pedagogy and chamber music courses.

Solomia Soroka, DMA, is professor of music at Goshen College, where she teaches violin, chamber music, and music theory courses. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, she earned her master’s degree and completed her postgraduate studies in the Kiev (Kyiv) Conservatory, and later served on its staff in the department of chamber music. She also has a DMA degree from Eastman School of Music. She studied with Hersh Heifetz, Bohodar Kotorovych, Lyudmyla Zvirko and Charles Castleman. Soroka made her solo debut at ten, playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra. She has appeared at concerts and festivals in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Taiwan and Ukraine. Since her American debut in 1997, she has performed throughout the United States as well.

During the summer, Soroka is on the faculty of Music Fest in Perugia, Italy. She also has taught at the Castleman Quartet Program, Pilsen Summer Academy, and Schlern Music Festival. Ms. Soroka is active giving masterclasses in her native Ukraine, USA, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Czech Republic, and Italy.

Dato Machavariani was born in 1962 in the Republic of Georgia. His official musical training started at the age of eight in a special music school for gifted children in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. He continued his studies at the Tbilisi State Conservatory under the tutelage of Eldar Isakadze and Tamara Gabarashvili (both pupils of Mstislav Rostropovich) and earned his master’s degree with highest distinction. In 1992, by invitation of Indiana University South Bend, Machavariani came to the United States and earned his master’s degree and artist diploma. As a soloist, Machavariani has played many times with the Georgian National Symphony, Georgian Radio and TV Orchestra, IUSB Philharmonic, and Elkhart Symphony Orchestra. He was a member of the Georgian Chamber Orchestra under Liana Isakadze, touring in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, West Germany, and Austria. He was principal cello in the Elkhart Symphony Orchestra and Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra in St. Joseph, Mich. Currently, he is an assistant principal in the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and Columbia (Mo.) Festival Chamber Orchestra. He is an adjunct faculty member at Goshen College, IUSB, and Valparaiso University.

Matthew Hill, DMA, pianist and Goshen College professor of music, is chair of the music department and teaches piano, chamber music, music history, and as a result of the strong influence from his wife and daughter, also teaches a general education course in Opera and Musical Theatre. He has studied with such renowned musicians as Howard Karp and Claude Frank, whose respective pedagogical genealogies include Rosina Lhévinne and Arthur Schnabel. He has had a variety of teaching and performing experiences both nationally and Internationally. Dr. Hill participated at the Schlern International Music Festival held in the Dolomites of northern Italy through invitation as a teacher, performer, and master class clinician. In China, he taught a series of master classes at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, and presented a solo recital. Matthew received his doctorate in piano performance at University of Wisconsin- Madison. His students have gone on to further graduate study at many different graduate schools, including Kansas City Conservatory of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, University of Oklahoma, Westminster Choir College, and the University of South Florida.

Goshen College Professor of Music and pianist Dr. Matthew Hill will present a solo piano recital in Rieth Recital Hall. This recital is presented as part of the 2025-26 Rieth Recital Series.

Matthew Hill, DMA, pianist and Goshen College professor of music, is chair of the music department and teaches piano, chamber music, music history, and as a result of the strong influence from his wife and daughter, also teaches a general education course in Opera and Musical Theatre. He has studied with such renowned musicians as Howard Karp and Claude Frank, whose respective pedagogical genealogies include Rosina Lhévinne and Arthur Schnabel. He has had a variety of teaching and performing experiences both nationally and Internationally. Dr. Hill participated at the Schlern International Music Festival held in the Dolomites of northern Italy through invitation as a teacher, performer, and master class clinician. In China, he taught a series of master classes at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, and presented a solo recital. Matthew received his doctorate in piano performance at University of Wisconsin- Madison. His students have gone on to further graduate study at many different graduate schools, including Kansas City Conservatory of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, University of Oklahoma, Westminster Choir College, and the University of South Florida.

Experience an afternoon of song in Rieth Recital Hall with Goshen College voice faculty Scott Hochstetler, baritone, and H. Roz Woll, mezzo-soprano. Luke Norell will accompany on piano. Their program spans centuries and styles, from the drama of Schubert’s Erlkönig to the contemporary voice of Stacy Garrop, who sets the words of Eleanor Roosevelt in a powerful song cycle. The recital closes with the two joining in duet for a Romantic flourish by Schumann. This concert is presented as part of the 2025-26 Rieth Recital Series.

Scott Hochstetler, DMA, is a professor of music at Goshen College, where he teaches and conducts in the choral, vocal and opera/musical theater areas. He is also the musical director of Camerata Singers, an area professional choir.

H. Roz Woll, DMA, assistant professor of music at Goshen College, teaches voice and directs the choir, Voices of the Earth. She previously lived in New York City, where she taught voice, vocal pedagogy, and directed the Women’s Choir at Queens College, City University of New York. Prior to living in New York, she was a conductor with the Chicago Children’s Choir for nine years, directing the Hyde Park Neighborhood Choir and choirs in 10 Chicago public schools.

A Festival of Carols is Goshen College’s annual Christmas music celebration. This event promises a cheerful experience for the Goshen College community, bringing together the talents of four choirs and an orchestra in a festive celebration of the holiday season.

“A Festival of Carols” is a heartwarming presentation patterned on a traditional English worship service, featuring Christmas carols, spirituals, scripture readings and sacred musical works. Sauder Concert Hall will be transformed into a winter wonderland, adorned with garlands, lights and trees, creating a magical atmosphere for all attendees.

The stellar lineup of performers includes the Goshen College Chamber Choir, Vox Profundi, Voices of the Earth, Goshen College Symphony Orchestra and Shout For Joy Children’s Choir. Roz Woll, assistant professor of music, and Scott Hochstetler, professor of music, lead the Goshen College choirs, while Jimin Seo, assistant professor of music, directs the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra and Sandy Hill directs the Shout For Joy Children’s Choir.

Audience participation is a key feature of the event, with attendees invited to join the choirs in singing familiar carols during the performance. This interactive element adds a communal touch to the festivities, making “A Festival of Carols” an engaging experience for everyone.

Tickets for sale to the general public beginning Monday, November 3, 2025. The Sunday afternoon performance will be live-streamed.

Lavender Jazz, Goshen College’s big band, will present their fall concert in Sauder Concert Hall. LJ is directed by Greg Smucker.